All ‘views’ or ‘perspectives’ are illusory.
…Lets look at the whole universe from a distance so far away that it is not visible at all. (Now don’t be deterred by the idea that "I can’t get outside the universe"… just imagine it. Easy!)
From this perspective, the universe does not exist.
Yet you do. And you know that the universe too still exists… even though you cannot see it.
But what is ‘this universe that you know exists’?
Move closer and it appears as a point. Closer, and individual super-galaxies appear.
Ever ‘closer’ and galaxies and then individual stars and then planets and moons appear. And now you are approaching earth. As you fly in, the earth begins to fill the whole visual field. No more stars, or moons… just this blue planet.
Now zoom in closer and closer. (No more do you need to imagine what it looks like – just visit ‘google earth’ and you can see it…)
But still we are not done. Closer still you see a city and then streets and on the street a person… and closer and closer till you see their skin. And ever closer there you see cells and then molecules and then atoms and further down there are the sub-atomic particles and… at the limit, all that remains is void… no ‘thing’ more to observe.
In this little story we see that from both a great distance and from very close up the universe is void.
At what ‘point’ is the real universe seen? Is the real universe the whole that is seen from a great distance, or is it the view that is seen close up? How close up?
In fact all ‘views’ or ‘perspectives’ are illusory. The universe ‘as it is in itself’ is a whole that encompases all space and time on every scale.
This universe does not exist in space and time. Space and time are defined by it. It exists only as idea/meaning in consciousness (not separate from consciousness), given appearance through colours, sounds, feelings, odours and flavours… as in a dream.
What is seen are mere images having no absolute size or shape. The ‘Gift’ is everything and Nothing… more prized than any thing.
Such is as it appears here now…
Great essay Michael! Excerpt from his post at:
Awakeningtothedream.com